Drew Dougherty

The Texans (5-4) host the Cardinals (2-8) this Sunday in a Week 11 matchup. Both teams are coming off victories, as Arizona came back to beat the Falcons and the Texans drilled a field goal as time expired to beat Cincinnati. Here are five things to watch when Houston and Arizona kick off inside NRG Stadium at noon CT.

1) What'll he do next? - In each of the last two weeks, quarterback C.J. Stroud has guided the Texans on game-winning drives in the final moment of a game. The rookie has inserted himself squarely into the NFL MVP race, but he's staying focused on the task at hand.

"This game keeps you honest and it keeps you humble," Stroud said. "It's a humbling game and it makes you really, really look yourself in the mirror and see, 'Did you prepare the right way? Did you do this the right way?' Because everything will be tested on that Sunday."

Stroud has now thrown 15 touchdowns and just a pair of picks and is leading the NFL with 291.8 passing yards per game.

He's also the best in the league at going deep. On passes of 20 air yards or more, he's first yards (665), completion percentage (64.5), passer rating (147.5) and touchdowns-to-interceptions (6-0).

2) Spin the wheel explosion - Each week, Stroud seems to find a new receiver to link up with and get yardage. In Cincinnati, Noah Brown had 172 receiving yards. The week before, Brown and Tank Dell and Dalton Schultz all cracked the century mark. Twice this year, Nico Collins has eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark.

They also have a different leader in catches (Schultz, 37), receiving yards (Collins, 631) and touchdown catches (Dell, 5).

Last Sunday in the win over the Bengals, Stroud completed eight passes that went for 20 yards or longer. That came one week after he tallied nine completions of 20 yards or more against Tampa Bay.

They've scored 30 points or more in four games this season.

3) Keep it running - For the first time in 2023, Houston had a 100-yard rusher in a game. Running back Devin Singletary diced up the Bengals for 150 yards on 30 carries, and scored a touchdown. His heroics earned him the AFC Offensive Player of the Week Award. But they also might have unlocked another level the Texans offense might be able to enter.

"It's very scary when you can be two dimensional and not one dimensional," Singletary said. "It keeps the defense on their toes, and what more can you ask for?"

Stroud expanded upon that, and is hopeful the ground game can continue to be effective.

"It opens up a lot," Stroud said. "Being able to do both is definitely helpful, and our [offensive line] has bought into the scheme and everything that we're doing. It's a process. It's all working together for the benefit of [our team], and we've got to keep it going."

Offensive coordinator Bobby Slowik was encouraged by what he saw on the ground.

"I think we played probably our best game as a unit just being in sync as far as combinations go, being able to run off the ball the way we want to run off the ball," Slowik said. "Being able to stay on schedule like that is really powerful for what we want to do on offense on first and second down."

The Cardinals defense enters the game ranked 28th in rushing yards allowed on the season.

4) Pass rush punch - Over the past three games, Houston registered 12 quarterback sacks. The Texans dropped Joe Burrow four times on Sunday, and defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins was responsible for three of those sacks. Head Coach DeMeco Ryans said the Texans, who rank fourth in the NFL in pressure rate, get much of their push from their tackles.

"With our defensive line and how they rush, it all starts with our interior guys," Ryans said. "We get pressure with our interior guys and our edges - they thrive. But if guys aren't on the same page when it comes to communication, whether it's a game, stunts, blitzes - we just want all of our guys to be exactly where they are supposed to be, operating with precision in their footwork, their eyes, everything. It's all about being coordinated as four guys rushing together."

Defensive end Jonathan Greenard leads the Texans with seven sacks, while Rankins and defensive tackle Maliek Collins have combined for 6.5 sacks so far.

5) Mess with Murray - That pass rush will get tested by Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray. He returned from injury and guided the Cardinals to their second win of the season on Sunday, and he was sacked twice in the process. He also ran six times for 33 yards and a touchdown.

"He has to be the fastest quarterback in the NFL," Ryans said. "The speed is real, and when he's healthy, it's a problem. He has the ability - most guys they step up in the pocket - but he has that ability to retreat back in the pocket and still circle the defense. You talk about elusiveness, you talk about the speed - just a dynamic athlete."

Murray completed 19-of-32 passes on Sunday for 249 yards and was picked off once. Linebacker Blake Cashman is also very in-tune with what Murray can do with is legs.

"He's a guy that's elusive, and a dynamic player," Cashman said. "He can extend plays and whenever you can extend plays, it's very challenging on the back end because coverages get broken down. So we really have to be great at our how we assault the pocket."